Fathers and sons working side by side

Nicholas Harary.

They told us at the Culinary Institute of Art that it would take nerves of steel to run a four-star restaurant. While it takes a touch of craziness to run Restaurant Nicholas, it takes a lot of craziness to renovate it without closing one day.

Let me tell you what went on behind-the-scenes last month:

I decided we needed to completely change the look of the restaurant. I asked artist Robert Kuster to create a new chandelier for the space and had our designer come up with a look that would have everyone clamoring to sit in the "new" room. The tallest order was finding a builder who had a touch of the crazy, one who would accept a job to complete in six days when most guys said it would take 30. Enter Rick Cifelli.

Cifelli had a crew of 15 guys show up on the Sunday morning before Mother's Day to gut the room. They then started four consecutive 24-hour work days to rebuild what took only three hours to tear apart.

On Tuesday or so (the week is still a blur), I noticed an older guy up on a ladder and asked Cifelli, "Who invited Rodney Dangerfield to the party?" He said: "That's my Dad. He's been retired for years. I only bust him out on the big jobs."

It was amazing to see so many people working toward one common goal. Through sheer hard work and determination, we finished the newly christened Fire Lilly room at 5:30 p.m. on Friday - one day early.

Very much like the team that completed the room, the team at Azienda Agricola Giovanni Almondo is all about fathers and sons.

Well, in the case of the Almondos, it's a three-generation affair, with a grandfather, father and sons working side by side, making some of the best white wines in Italy.

The 2012 offering is wildly aromatic, with lush, peachy fruit and a stony, mineral freshness that makes it so good with food.

In the restaurant, we pair it as we would with great white Burgundy, but it's a great choice for a summer white, flat-out delicious by itself as an aperitif, or a terrific complement to spring asparagus, grilled shrimp or steamed lobster.

Through the Nicholas Wines program, it is available for $24, $264 for a case.

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Fathers and sons working side by side

They told us at the Culinary Institute of Art that it would take nerves of steel to run a four-star restaurant. While it takes a touch of craziness to run Restaurant Nicholas, it takes a lot of

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